Pcitures don't do this fish justice. I owned several of these for a few years and they can absolutely gorgeous.
They have a reputation for being tough as nails and prolific breeders. If you get a pair, you will most likely have more fry than you can deal with. I did and I was struggling to give them away.
When they spawn, they will be very protective of their fry like most cichlids. Dither fish are necessary otherwise the parents will fight each other.
Don't know how they are with plants, anyone have experience with that? Cichlids in general (other than the really small ones like rams) are supposedly plant destroyers.
This Fish is quite awesome despite being extremely common. Its a smaller cichlid generally 3-5 inches but highly aggressive. They are very interesting to watch, especially in larger species tanks where they will defend their young like lions. There are several hybrids on the market as well (Blue, Red convicts). As mention hardy dithers help with some aggression towards each other.
I own a Black Convict, it was the first Cichlid i ever bought. This fish is extremely beautiful and on top of that, as mentioned, very hardy. I currently house my black convict with african cichlids like the bumblebee, blue cobalt zebra, red zebra, parrot, yellow lab, snow white albino, duboisi, demasoni, maigano and a jacobfreibergi peacock. In the tank there are also two plecos, blue freshwater lobster and a senegal bichir (baby). The convict, to me, stands out and resembles natural beauty in the tank like no other cichlid. I personally have never had problems with the fish uprooting my plants, it likes to graze off the plant leaves but does not destroy them. The fish is somewhat territorial but not aggressive i think. If you are worried about your plants being uprooted i would just suggest to introduce them to a tank that has plants that have had the opportunity to root themselves.
